It was a busy day at Oakland County International Airport, unsurprising given that the holidays were right around the corner. As the throngs of disembarking travelers flooded into the baggage claim, eager to gather their things and meet with their awaiting families. Lincoln Loud, however, was not one of these travelers… he stood off to the side, alternating between scanning the crowd and checking his phone. His leg bounced anxiously, more out of excitement than anything else; sure, it hadn't been that long since Thanksgiving, but every day spent away from his sister might as well have been an eternity to the boy.

Lincoln hummed to himself as he waited, once again checking his phone. The last message from Leni had been just short of twenty minutes prior, informing him that her plane had landed and she was on her way to the baggage claim. The boy sighed, pocketing his phone and leaning against the nearby pillar. He had to be patient. Between the crowds and the walk from the terminal, he supposed he shouldn't be surprised that it was taking her a bit to arrive.

Much had changed in the past three years. Lincoln had grown of course, and into a fairly handsome young man at that… his white hair granting an air of maturity to his otherwise boyish good looks. He was also in his junior year of high school, and had already begun making his college plans; always best to start early, after all.

And, most important of all… Leni had been accepted into a fashion institute in New York.

The Lori incident had been a trying time for everyone involved, but some good had in fact come out of it: rather than letting the traumatic event get her down, Leni had emerged with a newfound drive to better herself and follow her true passion. She'd put her nose to the grindstone, giving her first year at Royal Woods Community College the best effort she could manage. And while it was admittedly a bumpy road, her acceptance to the institute made it all worth it in the end. And, while living away from her family had taken quite a bit of adjustment and many tearful calls to Lincoln at all hours of the day, she'd eventually settled into her new life and taken to her studies with gusto.

This wasn't to say it had been a particularly easy adjustment for Lincoln, either. He was beyond happy for her, of course, not to mention proud of the great strides she'd made in a relatively short period of time. But needless to say, he missed her; he'd gotten so used to having her in his life that her absence in it created a void, one that had taken quite some time to get used to. But he knew it would all be worth it in the end. Besides, he had his sights set on a university in New York as well.

Total coincidence, of course.

As for their relationship, despite the distance their love was just as strong as ever, if not more so. Lori had remained true to her word, even asking how things were going between them on rare occasions… though Lincoln could still feel the discomfort in her voice whenever she addressed the topic. Quite frankly, he couldn't really blame her for that. Thankfully nobody else had discovered their forbidden romance since then, and those that did know were just as accepting as ever. Hell, even Clyde had come to accept it, showing none of the misgivings he once had for the matter. In short, things were going well, and aside from the ever-present concern that they may be discovered, Lincoln and Leni were happy and optimistic for the future.

"Linkyyyy~!" The boy was snapped from his thoughts by a warm, bubbly voice cutting through the clamor. He looked up, scanning the crowd for the source of the voice, until finally he saw Leni standing on her tip-toes and waving excitedly amongst a sea of strangers. A wide smile crossed Lincoln's face.

"Leni!" He called, waving back to her as though she hadn't already spotted him. The young woman grinned brightly and began making her way through the dense crowd, apologising as she or her carry-on bag accidentally bumped several people along the way. Finally she stumbled out of the crowd with a small yelp, tripping on a stranger's rolling suitcase and falling, thankfully, right into her brother's arms. "Whoa, easy there!" He said, chuckling softly.

"Th-thankies." Leni let out a sheepish giggle at her own clumsiness. She righted herself, smoothing out the creases in her dress. "Sorry about the wait… I kinda got lost. This place is like a maze, I swear!" The fashionista said with a cute, childish pout. Lincoln was about to point out that she'd made this trip plenty of times before, but thought the better of it… Leni was Leni after all, and no matter how far she'd come she'd always have that scatter-brained side to her. Instead he simply smirked and shook his head.

"It's fine… I'm just glad you're here now," He assured her. "How was the flight?"

"Fine! I slept through most of it, hehe~" That was nothing new; she always took some medicine for her motion sickness before flying, and it always put her out like a light. Quite frankly she preferred it that way… between the heights and the turbulence, flying was a less-than-comfortable experience for her. The two exchanged a small laugh before Leni glanced around curiously. "Um… are you the only one here?"

"Yeah… mom and dad had some things to take care of, so I offered to come pick you up." The boy explained. "Sorry… I guess it's not much of a warm welcome, but-" Before he could finish he found himself trapped in his sister's loving embrace. The young man blinked in surprise, then returned Leni's hug with a gentle smile.

"I missed you so much," She said, her light voice barely above a whisper.

"I missed you too, Leni. Welcome home." Lincoln chuckled and held the girl close, taking in her pleasant and familiar scent as he threaded a hand through her silky golden locks. Her warmth, her presence, was something he'd missed above all else, and judging by how tightly she was clinging to him he could only assume the same was true for her as well. Slowly, almost reluctantly, the two broke their embrace; instead they grasped each other's hands, looking into one another's eyes with loving gazes.

Perhaps it was due to being so far apart, but Lincoln couldn't help but feel that his sister grew even more gorgeous each time he saw her. Her silken hair, her flawlessly smooth skin, her delicate features accentuated by her tastefully-applied makeup… her outer beauty was only matched by the pure heart within. It was these feelings that cut through any doubt, any shame he may have held for his feelings.

Leni briefly looked away, glancing around at the passerby with a hint of concern in her eyes, but Lincoln gently squeezed her hands to reassure her. And as Leni looked back at him with a flustered, questioning gaze, he understood what she wanted without even needing to ask. The two lovers leaned forward, their lips touching together in a long-overdue kiss… restrained at first, before quickly throwing their concerns to the wayside and locking their lips together in an open display of love and passion. They'd never kissed in public before, at least not within view of others; Royal Woods was a small town after all, and it wouldn't take long before their incestuous relationship was exposed. But they weren't in Royal Woods right now. Here, they were strangers, just two young lovers reuniting after far too long apart. Here, they were no different, no less normal than anyone else. Here, they were free to show their love without risk, without judgement, without fear.

To most, their relationship was wrong; sick, even. Hiding it from the world was not an easy task, and Lincoln knew fully well that it would likely get even more difficult as time went on. But he didn't care… he knew how he felt for her just as well as she knew how she felt for him. For better or worse, they were in love. For better or worse, she'd become far more than a sister to him.

And whatever their future held, they would face it together.

THE END

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

It's been a long road to completion, but we've finally made it. I'd like to thank my readers and everyone who enjoyed and supported this fic despite the repeated and long hiatuses, my own misgivings regarding it, and my overall slow pace as of late. But it's finally done, and I do hope you're satisfied with the conclusion.

This isn't quite the end of Leni and Lincoln's story, as I've got a one-shot continuation planned in the hopefully near future. But I thank you all again for the support and patience. This fic gave me a lot of trouble and knowing that you guys enjoyed it regardless makes a big difference.